Air brake



Nov. 15, 1938. c. A CAMPBELL 2,136,574

AIR BRAKE Filed Dec. 27, 1935 Qnnentor Ma, m

Patented Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR BRAKE Charles A. Campbell. Watertown, N. Y., asslgnor to The New York Air Brake Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 27, 1933, Serial No. 704,187

14 Claims. (01. 303-21) This invention relates to vehicle brakes and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing how the particularly to means for controlling the inteninertia unit of Fig. 1 may be modified to operate sity of brake application to ensure smooth stops for either of two reverse directions of train moin the shortest practicable distance. tion.

5 Heretofore it has been proposed to control the The control mechanism includes a body 6 in 5 intensity of brake application in response to an which is formed a cylindrical bore serving as a inertia efiect produced by the deceleration caused chamber for a balanced piston valve 1. This by such brake application. In the prior art devalve has a reduced middle portion 8, and provices, a uniform rate of deceleration throughout jects at both ends from body 6.

the stop was sought. It has also been proposed Leading into the bore are three ports, a supply 10 to control the intensity of application in response port 9, a brake cylinder port I l and an atmosto train speed or wheel speed. Neither of the pheric port I2, so spaced with reference to the schemes above outlined has proved entirely satisreduced portion 8 of valve 1,.that in mid position factory in service though each has some valuable of the valve both ports 9 and I2 are blanked,

characteristics. while in theleft hand position ports 9 and I I are 15 According to the present invention the intenconnected and I2 is blanked, and in the right sity of brake application is controlled by an inerhand position ports I I and I2 are connected and tia device having means to adjust it to maintain 9 is blanked. different decelerative rates. This adjusting The right hand end of valve 1 engages spring means is controlled in response to train speed (or seat I 3 between which and adjustable spring 20 wheel speed). seat M a coil compression spring [5 is confined. This permits the decelerative rate to be varied Seat I4 is carried by one arm of a bell'crank I6 through the whole or any part of the speed whose other arm engages the shiftable collar I1 range. of a centrifugal governor.

In the embodiment illustrated means are This governor includes the usual fly balls I8 25 shown to limit the speed'control of deceleration carried by links I9 and drawn together by tento a part only of the speed range, and specifically sion springs 2|. On increase of speed, outward to the low speed range. In such embodiment, if motion of the balls It draws collar I'l downward, a full application of the brakes be made at high increasing the stress on spring I5 and setting the speed, a rapid substantially uniform rate of dedevice for a high deceleration rate. The down- 30 celeration will first be maintained by the action ward motion of collar I'I is preferably limited by of the inertia device in controlling the intensity a stop 22 so that the action of the centrifugal of application. At a. relatively low train speed, governor is limited to a low speed range. Any say five miles per hour, the speed responsive dedesired speed range can be provided for by suitvice commences to readjust the inertia device to ably designing the governor. 35

establish a lower and lower decelerative rate until The governor is driven through a flexible shaft a definite minimum setting is reached, such mini- 23 from the axle 24 of a car wheel 25, and hence mum being chosen to ensure a smooth but certain rotates at a sped proportional to the rotary wheel stop. speed. This ordinarily is proportional to train This system of control is applicable to power speed. 40 brakes generally, irrespective of the power me- An inertia weight 26 is guided to move freely in dium. Thus while a pneumatic brake of the sima path parallel with the direction of travel of the plest straight air type is described below for purtrain. Theguiding means comprise rollers 21, pose of explanation, the invention is applicable 28, engaging flanges or tracks 29, 3|, in the to pneumatic systems of other than the straight weight. Rearward motion of weight 26 is limited 45 air type, and also to electromagnetic and hydrauby stop 32. Forward motion of the weight from he systems of the prior art. The only requirethe neutral position shown in Fig. 1, shifts valve ment is that the intensity of application be ad- I to the right. The actuating connection comjustable. I prises a lever 33 fulcrumed at 34 and having at In the drawing: one end a roller 35 engaging the Weight, and at 50 Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view partly in section the other end a roller 36 engaging the valve. and partly in elevation showing the invention em- Port I I is connected by brake pipe 31 with any bodied for use on a single end car or train. The appropriate number of brake cylinders 38, only train is supposed to travel to the left relatively to one such cylinder being illustrated. Air is supthe drawing. I plied by main reservoir 39 to engineers brake 55 valve ll which may be manipulated to admit such air to pipe 4! or exhaust the pipe. Pipe 42 leads to port I.

Quppose that a train is running at high speed and the engineer makes a full application by shifting the engineer's brake valve to application position and leaving it there. Initially collar II will be at its lower limit of motion, 1. e., against stop ll, so that spring ll will be adjusted for maximum stress. The force developed by the momentum of weight It as the train slows will shift valve I to maintain a substantially uniform and relatively high rate of deceleration.

At some speed, say about five miles per hour, collar l1 will start up away from stop is, thus reducing the stress on spring II and causing the weight 28 and valve 1 to establish a diminishing deceleration. The minimum deceleration rate will be reached when collar i1 reaches its upper limit of motion and is such as to ensure a smooth and certain stop without undue increase of stopping distance.

If the inertia control device must operate for both directions of travel of the train, recourse may be had to the arrangement shown in Fig. 2.

Here the weight 28a is shown in its neutral position. It has a pin and slot connection 35a with lever 330 which is fulcrumed at "a. The lever "a actuates two rollers 36a, 361), on opposite sides of fulcrum Ila and these coact with the floating lever "a which engages the valve 1.

Displacement of weight 28a in either direction from its neutral position, will shift valve 1 to th right. Since the centrifugal governor is indifferent to the direction of rotation of wheel 25, the whole control mechanism is indifferent to the direction of motion of the train.

The invention may be variously embodied and the underlying principle is applicable to the widest variety of power brakes.

What is claimed is,--

l. The combination of regulable braking means for a vehicle, and controlling means therefor comprising an inertia device responsive to vehicle deceleration connected to regulate said braking means, and a device responsive to vehicle speed connected to modify the action of said inertia device.

2. The combination of a wheeled vehicle; regulable braking means for a wheel thereof; and controlling means for said braking means, comprising an inertia device responsive to vehicle deceleration connected to regulate said braking means, and a device responsive to the speed of said braked wheel connected to modify the action of said inertia device.

3. A combined speed and inertia control for brakes, comprising in combination a movable inertia mass; regulating means operable by motion thereof; yielding means for resisting such motion; and speed responsive means for varying the resistance offered by said yielding means.

4. A combined speed and inertia control for brakes, comprising in combination a movable inertia mass; admission and exhaust valve means operable by motion thereof; yielding means for resisting such motion; and speed responsive means for varying the resistance offered by said yielding means.

5. A combined speed and inertia control for brakes, comprising in combination a movable inertia mass; regulating means operable by motion thereof; yielding means for resisting such motion; speed responsive means for varying the resistance offered by said yielding means; and means for limiting the speed range through which said speed responsive means is effective to vary such resistance.

8. A combined speed and inertia control for brakes, comprising in combination a movable inertia mass; admission and exhaust valve means operable by motion thereof; yielding means for resisting such motion; speed responsive means for varying the resistance offered by said yielding means; and means for limiting the speed range through which said speed responsive means is eflective to vary such resistance.

7. A combined speed and inertia control for brakes, comprising in combination a movable inertia mass brake controlling means operable by motion thereof; spring means resisting such motion; and a centrifugal governor connected to vary the stress on said spring means.

8. A combined speed and inertia control for brakes, comprising in combination a movable inertia mass; brake controlling means operable by motion thereof; spring means resisting such motion; a centrifugal governor connected to vary the stress on said spring means; and means for limiting the stress variations thus produced.

9. The combination defined in claim 8, in which the parts are so arranged that the governor starts to change the spring adjustment when a relatively low speed is reached, and completes such change before a state of rest is reached.

10. In a vehicle brake system, in combination,

brake means, means for effecting an application of said brake means to produce a braking eflect on the vehicle, means operated according to the rate of retardation of the vehicle, means responsive to operation of said last means at a chosen rate of retardation for decreasing the braking effect produced by said brake means, and means governed by the speed of the vehicle for progressively adjusting at what rate of retardation said last means responds. 11. In a vehicle brake system, in combination, brake means, means for effecting an application of said brake means to produce a braking effect on the vehicle, a retardation controller device having an element movable according to the rate of retardation of the vehicle, means responsive to movement of said element for controlling said brake means, yielding means for opposing movement of said element, and means controlled according to the speed of the vehicle for governing the opposition exerted by said yielding means.

12. In a vehicle brake system, in combination, brake means, means for effecting an application of said brake means to produce a braking effect on the vehicle, a retardation controller device having an element operated according to the rate of retardation of the vehicle, means responsive to operation of said element for controlling the degree of application of said brake means, resilient means for opposing movement of said element, means for conditioning said yielding means to exert a substantially constant opposition to operation of said element during service applications of the brakes, and means governed by the speed of the vehicle for conditioning said yielding means to exert opposition to operation of said element according to the speed of the vehicle.

13. In a vehicle brake system, in combination, a brake cylinder, means for effecting a supply of fluid under pressure to the brake cylinder, a retardation controller device having an element movable according to the rate of retardation of and means for controlling said governing meansaccording to the speed of the vehicle.

14. In a vehicle brake system, in combination, a retardation controller device having an element movable according to the rate of retardation of the vehicle, yielding means for opposing movement of said element, regulating means for conditioning said yielding means to oppose movement of said element with variable forces, and 5 means governed by the speed of the vehicle for controlling said regulating means.

CHARLES A. CAMPBELL. 

